Pyongyang's Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army said: "All the powerful strategic and tactical strike means of our revolutionary armed forces will go into preemptive and just operations to beat back the enemy forces to the last man if there is a slight sign of their special operation forces and equipment moving to carry out the so-called 'beheading operation' and 'high-density strike'.'"

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RETALIATION: Pyongyang says its vow is because of US and South Korean military exercises

“All the powerful strategic and tactical strike means of our revolutionary armed forces will go into preemptive and just operations to beat back the enemy forces”

Supreme Command of the Korean People's Army

It said its first target would be South Korea's presidential Blue House, while US military bases in Asia and on the American mainland would be secondary targets.

About 28,500 US troops are based in South Korea.

Last week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned of tough measures against the North following its January nuclear test and its long-range rocket launch this month.

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LAUNCH: North Korea has launched a rocket and tested its first nuclear weapon

Kim Jong-Un in pictures

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in pictures.

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Kim Jong-Un pictured with a gun

She said Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons would speed the collapse of the regime.

South Korea and the United States say both actions were violations of UN Security Council resolutions, and are pushing for further sanctions.

Days after the rocket launch, South Korea suspended the operation of the Kaesong industrial zone just north of the border, which had been run jointly with the North for more than a decade.